Episodes
Thursday Jun 25, 2020
Rachel Lyons – Space for Humanity
Thursday Jun 25, 2020
Thursday Jun 25, 2020
In this episode:
We meet Rachel Lyons, Executive Director of Space for Humanity, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with the mission of expanding access to space, training the leaders of tomorrow, and cultivating a movement towards a more harmonious world. Rachel is also a former public radio host, and the former Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for Students for the Exploration and Development of Space USA (SEDS), a nonprofit that empowers young people to make an impact in space exploration. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical/Space Engineering from the University of Miami.
In this conversation, Rachel discusses how, despite not having an early interest in space, she was inspired to pursue her chosen field of study in college, and the importance of SEDS and how it connects students to the space industry. She also explains the mission of Space for Humanity, its aspirations to get more people to experience what’s known as “the overview effect,” and their webinar series To Space, for Earth.
Explaining her thoughts on Space for Humanity’s goals of diversity in space travel, Rachel says, “We need to actually live with that understanding that we all share this planet together. So, like I said, we’ll be sponsoring diverse people, not just that very small demographic, to have this experience.”
To learn more about Space for Humanity, visit spaceforhumanity.org.
Introductory and closing music: Paint the Sky by Hans Atom (c) copyright 2015 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/hansatom/50718 Ft: Miss Judged
Wednesday Jun 17, 2020
Peter Beck – Rocket Lab Founder
Wednesday Jun 17, 2020
Wednesday Jun 17, 2020
In this episode:
We meet Peter Beck, the founder and chief executive of Rocket Lab, a space technology company and global leader in dedicated small satellite launches. Since founding the business in 2006, Peter has grown Rocket Lab to become a globally recognized industry leader in space, and a billion-dollar company employing hundreds of world-class engineers and technicians.
In this conversation, Peter discusses how he first became interested in space as a child, what led him to establish Rocket Lab, some of the company’s most challenging and memorable launches, how the coronavirus pandemic has affected the company and its workplaces, and Rocket Lab’s foray into designing interplanetary missions to Venus and beyond.
Explaining his thoughts on the future of space exploration, Peter says, “If we stay on the same trajectory of ... exponential development, then in 50 years’ time — man, we probably will be ... in another solar system somewhere.”
To learn more about Rocket Lab, visit rocketlabusa.com.
Introductory and closing music: Paint the Sky by Hans Atom (c) copyright 2015 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/hansatom/50718 Ft: Miss Judged
Thursday Jun 11, 2020
Kevin DeBruin – The Fit Rocket Scientist
Thursday Jun 11, 2020
Thursday Jun 11, 2020
In this episode:
We meet Kevin DeBruin, a space educator who brings space down to Earth for all of us in a creative and entertaining way. A former NASA JPL rocket scientist, Kevin is also the author of To NASA and Beyond: Perseverance to Achieve the Impossible, a TEDx speaker, American Ninja Warrior, and CuriosityStream’s brand ambassador for all things space and science.
Kevin shares with us the obstacles he faced as a student, including struggles with mathematics. He tells us about securing his dream job working with NASA, and why he left after discovering a passion for teaching and inspiring others about space. Kevin tells about his techniques for bringing space down to Earth and making the learning process fun and engaging. He also shares a little about his time competing as an American Ninja Warrior.
Learn more about Kevin at https://www.kevinjdebruin.com/
Introductory and closing music: Paint the Sky by Hans Atom (c) copyright 2015 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/hansatom/50718 Ft: Miss Judged
Thursday Jun 04, 2020
Peter Freer & Rita McKinnish – Play Attention
Thursday Jun 04, 2020
Thursday Jun 04, 2020
In this episode:
We meet Peter Freer and Rita McKinnish.
Peter Freer is the founder and CEO of Unique Logic + Technology and Freer Logic, LLC. He holds a Master’s in Education from Western Carolina University, specializing in Educational Technology, and is a veteran educator of 15 years. After experiencing the poor classroom performance of his students with attention difficulties, and the lack of educational tools to help them learn, Freer adapted a feedback-based NASA technology to develop Play Attention, an interactive learning system. It is currently used in over 600 school districts in the U.S.
Rita McKinnish is an accomplished educator who holds a Bachelor of Science degree in early childhood from Western Carolina University, a Master’s in Middle School from Western Carolina University, and a Master’s in Media Coordination from Appalachian State University. She taught elementary school and middle school in various North Carolina locales from 1974 until 1996, and then later worked as a Media Coordinator at Asheville Middle School until her retirement in 2005.
In this conversation, Peter discusses how the students he taught, combined with his technological education background, and the aforementioned NASA technology he stumbled upon led him to pioneer the field of neurocognitive training in 1994. Rita relates how she started using the Play Attention software in her classrooms, how effective it was for her students, and how she uses it herself to maintain cognitive acuity and stay active in retirement.
Peter also explains how the technology works, how it has evolved, and how it has been further adapted to help train NASA pilots, nuclear power operators, Da Vinci robotic surgeons, and even U.S. Olympians. In discussing the unexpected reach the technology has had over the years, Peter says, “I’ve lectured at the request of NASA, I’ve lectured at the United Nations, to the International Atomic Energy Agency for using that technology to train nuclear operators, and I look at that, and I just shrug my shoulders and wonder how the heck I got here sometimes.”
To learn more about the Play Attention system, visit playattention.com.
Introductory and closing music: Paint the Sky by Hans Atom (c) copyright 2015 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/hansatom/50718 Ft: Miss Judged